GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls counselor is working to establish Montana's first inpatient substance abuse treatment center for adolescents, filling a critical gap in the state's addiction and mental health services.
Teresa Mouser, who has operated Lone Wolf Counseling for 15 years, is spearheading the creation of Cub Haven Counseling, a nonprofit adolescent inpatient treatment center designed for youth ages 13 to 18.
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"Cub Haven Counseling is a nonprofit adolescent inpatient and treatment center, what we would call a level 3.5," Mouser said.
Montana currently lacks a 28-day inpatient treatment center focused on youth substance abuse, forcing families to seek help out of state.
"If I send somebody to inpatient treatment, I have to send them out of state. We don't have anything in state for any of the populations, including any of the native populations," Mouser said.
While substance abuse inpatient treatment centers for youth previously existed in Billings and Missoula, none currently operate in Montana. Mouser believes funding challenges have prevented these facilities from remaining viable.
"I think the biggest reason is Medicaid isn't lucrative enough. It doesn't pay enough to be able to maintain staff, to follow all the rules and to be able to provide good quality care for adolescents," Mouser said.
She says another reason previous centers have struggled is because treating adolescents is difficult.
"They don't have the ability to think like an adult does. And so your curriculums, your way of teaching them has to be all different," said Mouser.
The licensed addictions counselor, who earned two master's degrees, envisions starting with a single house accommodating six youth, likely males initially. The facility would need regulatory approval and would serve various populations throughout the state, including working with juvenile drug courts and probation officers.
"We'll have to have it approved. There's all the restrictions that go with that, but that's where I see us starting," Mouser said.
Mouser says while the center will be focused on substance abuse, it will also have a mental health component and a spiritual component.
Mouser says eventually the center will expand its activities for residents.
"We want to provide the best that we possibly can. And in the future a potential equine therapy program, an arts program. An AA type group or celebrate recovery. We want to incorporate many different components because adolescents can get bored quickly" said Mouser.
To fund the ambitious project, Mouser is organizing a comedy fundraiser featuring Mark Lundholm, a recovering comedian from California who brings humor to addiction recovery topics. The event is scheduled for January 23 at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls.
"Mark Lundholm is an amazing comedian and he is out of California. Mark is recovering himself, and he brings a lot of humor to something that most people don't think is funny," Mouser said.
As a recovering addict herself, Mouser is passionate about providing local treatment options for Montana's youth struggling with substance abuse.
"I was told my entire life I'd be nothing but prison. I don't want these kids to hear that. And I am done burying these kids. It hurts to watch families go through their kids dying," Mouser said.
Mouser's commitment to community service extends beyond her counseling practice. She teaches at both the college and high school levels, focusing on training new addiction counselors.
"That's really what my focus is, is to be able to give back to the community. It's also why I teach at the college and I teach at the high school," Mouser said.
Tickets are available for the Mark Lundholm performance through the Lone Wolf and Cub Haven websites. They can also be purchased in person at the Double Barrel Coffeehouse at 1500 Ninth Avenue South in Great Falls.
